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Cupcakes with bright turquoise frosting, each topped with a colourful gum paste butterfly decoration.

How to Make Stunning Gum Paste Butterflies for Your Cakes and Cupcakes

Create stunning 3D gum paste butterflies with Tylose paste, perfect for decorating cakes and cupcakes.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Cake Decoration

Equipment

  • 1 Biscuit Box for 3D support
  • 1 Smooth chopping board
  • 1 Fondant Rolling Pin
  • 1 Butterfly cookie cutter
  • 1 Knife
  • 1 Stamen decorations
  • 1 Scissors
  • 1 Fondant/Gum Paste decorating tool

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Batch Gum Paste
  • Powdered or Gel Food Coloring
  • Holsum or Shortening
  • Shimmer powder or Luster dust
  • Tylose Glue
  • Extra icing if necessary

Instructions
 

  • Colour the gum paste with your chosen food colouring.
  • Apply Holsum or shortening to a smooth cutting board and roll out the gum paste thinly.
  • Use a butterfly cookie cutter to cut 3-4 butterflies, remembering that the gum paste dries quickly.
    Rolling out purple gum paste and cutting butterfly shapes using a butterfly cutter for cake decorations.
  • Apply luster dust or shimmer powder to the butterflies using a small piece of sponge.
    Applying luster dust to gum paste butterflies using a small piece of sponge.
  • Roll a small amount of gum paste into a sausage shape, thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom, to create the thorax.
    Rolling a small amount of gum paste into a sausage shape to form the butterfly thorax.
  • Attach the thorax to the butterfly with a small amount of Tylose glue, pressing it down in three places with a knife.
    Attaching the gum paste thorax to the butterfly using Tylose glue.
  • Insert two stamen decorations for the antennae.
  • Allow the butterflies to dry on the cardboard biscuit box support.
    Gum paste butterflies shaped with raised wings and left to dry.